Thanks to NetGalley and to the publisher for sending me an e-galley of this book in exchange for an honest review!

If you've ever seen Grease you know this story. Ollie had an amazing summer romance with Will who proceeded to ghost him by the end. In a simple twist of fate Ollie is staying in North Carolina to help his parents take care of his Aunt Linda while she goes through her cancer treatment and who does he bump into at a school party? Will. Turns out Will seemingly doesn't want anything to do with him and almost refuses to acknowledge Ollie in any way.

I seriously have mixed feelings about this book. Ollie is out, but Will isn't which in turn causes Will to act like an asshole to Ollie (Which is fairly true to Grease), but the issue for me is that Ollie is kind of being insensitive as he's slowly getting close to Will. I can see why Will would be concerned about coming out to his friends and importantly to his parents when we hear of some less than pleasant remarks they made about sexual orientations.

it's important to explain sexuality and show everything in a positive light because IT IS PERFECTLY NORMAL, but also important to not romanticize the grand reveal so to speak of someone coming out to their parents with little to no consequence, when it's been hinted at in the first 2/3 of the book from his family and friends would have a problem or be insensitive.

There is also a lot of conversation about cancer and it's progression showing how it takes a toll on a family and the outcome. If you are sensitive to these subjects, I think you should skip this one at least until you're in a better place mentally and emotionally. It was really hard for me to read as someone who recently lost a family member. The subject was done very well, showing stages of grief, but was really hard to read. Also, as soon as the couple chapters were over it was kind of forgotten until the final few pages of the book.

It tried desperately to be an inclusive book with lots of body positivity and explanation of certain illnesses, but at times I felt it did lay it on a little thick.

Still, after all this. The story was fairly cute. Just keep in mind that there is a bit of homophobia, light fat shaming and a character lashes with a little girl-hate. If you're cool with all this and want to read a refreshing and very inclusive Grease inspired story. Check it out.

I absolutely adored this book. Between this book and Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston, I can't seem to get enough of LGBT romantic comedy novels. The writing style was wonderful, the characters were believable, and the plot was the right amount of angst and hilarity. This truly felt like Grease but absolutely, wonderfully LGBT. Despite receiving this ARC, I plan to purchase a physical copy when the book comes out - which is my best defining compliment on just how much I loved a book.

ARC provided by St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Only Mostly Devastated is a delightful queer romance, loosely inspired by Grease  which I watched halfway through the book and I kind of hated it  written by Sophie Gonzales.

Our main boy is Oliver, best known as Ollie-oop, a music enthusiast who is visiting his family in North Carolina for summer vacation. In NC, he meets sweet, adorable, kind Will and they spend all summer together. A family emergency forces Ollie to move to Collinswood and to enrol in the local high school for his senior year. Unbeknownst to him, Will is also a student there and Ollie discovers that the idea he has of the guy he met over summer is rather wrong. High school Will is a closeted, douchey class clown and not at all the Disney Prince he dreams of.

I really liked Sophie Gonzales’ writing style. The plot flowed effortlessly and I didn’t expect to be carried off in such a tornado of emotions, which I loved. The characters were all relatable and well-developed. The only exception: Will. I liked and hated him simultaneously and it may be because he reminded me of a perpetual crush I have.

Only Mostly Devastated has an assured place in my go-to list of queer books to recommend.

I had to read on this book many times to be able to complete it. I am not sure why, but I just could not get interested enough in it. It is well written, but lacking in the interest department.

Thank you Netgalley for sending me this arc. I will be reviewing this book in the near future with an honest rating and review.

Thank you, Sophie Gonzales and St. Martin Press for giving me an advance copy of ONLY MOSTLY DEVASTED from Netgalley.

Ollie meets Will during summer break while visiting his sick aunt. The boys have a summer fling, but Ollie doesn't go back to Southern California as they expected. Ollie ends up staying in North Carolina to help out his aunt and her family, with the hopes of continuing his relationship with Will. Except Ollie finds out that Will isn't the guy he got to know during the summer. Will is in the closet, pretends to not know Ollie, and avoids him so his friend don't find out what was between them.

I really enjoyed this book. Despite the author making very old references that today's teens would have no clue as to what they mean, I think the emotions and relationship dynamics are spot on. I laughed, I cried, and I felt like a teen again. Which is exactly why I read YA Contemporary.

Absolutely perfect in every way. In case the synopsis doesn't convince you than allow me to do the honors: this book is phenomenal. It's got that summer-lovin' vibe that makes romcoms blush, a cast of lovable but realistically broken and flawed characters, all with a dash of music and culture clash.

What more could you want??

Oh my god, this was so cute! I would take a bullet for Ollie! He’s so sweet, but I got the feeling that he was being taken for granted quite a lot. I’m so glad that people around him realised what a gem he is. I confess I was a tiny bit sceptical at first. After reading the synopsis, I was dubious about Will and his redeeming. Praising the Lord, Will’s growth was amazingly written! It was devastating yet understandable about the way he acted. Growing up in North Carolina his only reprieve was that one summer where he let go of the blanket covering him and allowed Ollie see him for who he truly was.

"Then we really looked at each other, and it was like being locked into place."
(Cue me being shot with an arrow.)

The Roses were surprisingly marvellous, especially Lara and Juliette, but I missed Niamh's contribution. She wasn't as developed as I would have liked, she just kind of floats.
But overall, it was perfect! The words in this story are masterfully composed into a relaxing cup of tea that will always smell delicious, always be smiled upon being touched by the welcoming warmth. At times it was heartbreaking, but mostly it was sweet, cute and heartening. It was a gorgeous read and I’m so grateful that I was able to read an advanced copy and experience this fluff of a book. Highly recommended!! I'm definitely re-reading this when it's officially released!

Such a fun book! I really loved the romance. I'm looking forward to the next release from Sophie Gonzales - hopefully another contemporary romance?

This was such a cute book! It touched on a lot of serious issues but still managed to have a lighthearted vibe. Very enjoyable read!

In his senior year, Ollie transfers to a new highschool. His summer fling Will, who Ollie thought he’d never see again, attends the same school. Will is popular and acts differently around his friends. While he initially ignores Ollie, Will begins to appear more in his life, confusing him. Meanwhile, Ollie makes new friends and struggles with a family situation.

Ollie is an interesting protagonist. He begins the story insecure, but gradually gains confidence. It took me longer to like Will, but he’s an interesting character as well. Their romance is cute.

While I won’t elaborate to not spoil the plot, the “family emergency” mentioned in the summary was handled well. The emotions of the characters were portrayed realistically.

I also liked how developed the side characters were, particularly Ollie’s friends Juliette, Lara, and Niamh. He had a unique dynamic with each girl, and they had their own individual problems to overcome.

Ollie’s personality shines through the narration. However, I didn’t find the writing style compelling because of the lack of detail. For example, settings aren’t described much and Ollie’s appearance is vague. My only other issue is that Ollie’s bandmates weren’t developed. However, the strong elements of the book outweigh the lacking areas.

Overall, I really liked this novel.

I do have a soft spot for high school romances, especially the one involving a coming-out story. Oh, not that I miss school days😬 . . . just prefer the adult life without the worries of exam grades and revisions. All the same, glad to receive a copy of this book through a wish in netgalley.
The novel progresses through the perspective of Ollie (yes, our devastated hero). Brave and caring, he manages to win our hearts from the very beginning. There are no usual teenage tantrums as we expect, instead, we are shown to the life of a mature boy (partly owing to his upbringing) who steps in to help his aunt in the time of need.
And that brings me to the next character: Aunt Linda. She may not have that many appearances, but her influence permeates throughout; some sad and some inspiring. It could be because I am on bed rest with a herniated disk that her plight drew me in. It is not anywhere near cancer, but she gave me the much-needed catharsis. There are sometimes in our lives, we are confronted with some unexpected and unsurmountable barriers, and that in turn make us realise how much we are going to miss some ordinary things. So the way Linda approached her deadly illness, reminds one of the importance of little things.
Will, Ollie's Disney prince, has his own demons to fight. Unlike his lover, his parents and friends are not open to his sexuality. His problems could be the usual ones, but the author way of dealing it is quite refreshing. Well, some scenes are quite unoriginal but that didn't stop me from shouting out with glee (internally, of course).
Altogether a beautiful, heartwarming story that will make you weep and smile till the blissful end. Surely something to mark your calendars for in 2020.

I loved this book so much! As an avid lover of Grease, when I saw this book I was desperate to get my hands on it but also nervous because what if it didn’t live up to my expectations? Fortunately, it went above and beyond my expectations. I adored all of the characters, each one of them had flaws that were addressed which made them so likeable. The romance between Ollie and Will was great, and the story as a whole left we with a warm feeling in my heart. One thing I was not expecting was to cry like an absolute baby whilst reading this book! Ollie’s aunt having cancer brought lots of discussion of death and mourning which just got me and it’s very rare that I get so emotionally involved in a book to the point that I’m crying at 2am. So, overall I would recommend this book to absolutely everyone, it’s very sweet, the characters are infinitely loveable, and it definitely brings the indescribable Grease feeling.

There aren't many books that can make me laugh and cry within the span of 30 minutes, but this book sure did the trick. The story is told by Ollie, a 17 year old gay boy who had to move to North Carolina so his family can help with his aunt who has cancer. During the summer, he met Will and they had a very Grease-esque summer fling. Or more according to Ollie who stopped hearing from Will as soon as Will went back home. Ollie thought he was going to go back to California, but no such luck. His family moves and he begins his senior year at a new school. He meets some nice girls who immediately bring him into his circle. He goes to a party and lo and behold, who should be there but our disappearing Prince Charming - Will!

Ollie soon discovers that Will isn't out to not only his family but his friends as well, and acts like a general heterosexual douchebag when he's around his friends. Ollie makes his mission to forget Will and do his own thing which is join a punk band and become BFFs with Juliette, Lara, and Naihm. Lara has got her own stuff going on, so she's basically a bitch to everyone because that's her defense mechanism. At first you're not entirely sure about her, but as you read through the book, you learn more about her, and her and Ollie develop this understanding of each other. They aren't instant friends, but they soon warm up to each other, realize they have each other's backs, and form a very strong bond. Their friendship was one of my favorite things about this book. Well, Ollie and his friendships with the girls.

My favorite character was probably Aunt Linda, and I'm not going to go into too much detail about her. She kind of gives Ollie the kick in the ass he needs with regards to Will. He begins to realize towards the end that he has demanded a lot out of Will, but has not actually given. There's growth, and although we see it through Ollie's perspective, we can still see the changes in all the characters.

This book was genuinely a great book. It was funny, sweet, sad, and leaves you with this warm fuzzy feeling at the end. I loved the hell out of it, and I would definitely buy the physical copy once it's out. If you want a sweet contemporary romance along with great friendships and strong family bonds, this book is for you.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC for an honest review.

I was not the biggest fan of this book. I did enjoy the author's writing style though so I believe that I will give her another chance.

Though this book may not be in my lesson plans, I would love to have it on my classroom bookshelf for students, or recommend it to the high school book club I run. This book reminded me of Simon and the Homo Sapien Agenda, but I found the characters more enjoyable and endearing than Simon.

Ollie has a summer romance with Will while visiting his aunt, but then returns home across the country. When his family unexpectedly moves at the beginning of the school year to help his dying aunt and her family, Ollie is shocked to find out that WIll attends his new school...and he isn't out. Will and Ollie start up a quiet relationship, with Will literally shoving Ollie into closets when his friends come around.

Here is what I like about this novel: the characters are very real and relatable. And though the love story is the center of the novel, there are a lot of other issues: dealing with a terminally ill family member, making new friendships, standing up for oneself. There is even a character who is diagnosed with PCOS, and I was pretty excited to have that issue mentioned, even briefly.

YA literature of the last few years has done a really nice job telling diverse stories, and this novel is no exception,

I really enjoyed this. It started out feeling very much like Queer Grease, but I'm glad it didn't follow the exact storyline. I really liked how the characters were developed and the resolution.

I'm seriously over the moon. This book is so good! Honestly, my hopes were really high because it looked so good. It WAY exceeded my expectations. Sophie Gonzales should be extremely proud of producing this masterpiece of a story.

Plot-wise, absolutely perfect. It had just the right amount of everything; romance, friendship, family drama.

Writing-wise, it was amazing. The whole time I was reading, it really felt like I was talking to Ollie (the protagonist). Amazing job!

Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda meets Clueless, inspired by Grease.

With all of the many, many dramatics of the straight friends in the book, I definitely got a "Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda" vibe from the story, no doubt.

But "Clueless" was extremely funny, which this book had its moments, but I didn't personally feel that humor played much of a role here. At least not constantly, like in "Clueless".

And "Grease"? Ummm, I didn't really feel that many Grease-like moments, but I'm not completely obsessed with that movie in the same adoring way that my hubby is. The boy has a problem, I'm telling you. heh

As the story began, it was Ollie's first day at a new school in North Carolina, then over the course of the story, we got flashbacks of a summer fling that he'd had with a local, closeted basketball player, Will, which seemed to end fine, only to be followed by a bout of extreme ghosting.

Will had expected the end of summer to also signal the end of their short relationship, but when Ollie enrolled at his new school, Will freaked out pretty badly, exactly as I'd figured he would. Talk about your chickens coming home to roost.

I liked both Will and Ollie, understanding all too well the predicament that they were in, but just like with "Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda", I had the same feeling that their friends' problems at least partially overshadows the *main* story in this M/M YA romance.

The one side plot that I was happy to include pages for was Ollie's aunt's cancer, and how Ollie stepped up to help with her kids. Every single page of that sub-plot felt genuine and packed with tons of emotion.

However, I could've honestly done without a few of the other side-plots with Ollie's new gal pals. Those parts felt long and drawn-out, making me want to skip pages until we got back to the romance.

The story had no steam, but finished with a very strong HFN, with the boys thankfully going (view spoiler), something that a lot of YA stories fail to end with, which never fails to piss me off.

Overall, the book made me smile and left me in a hopeful, upbeat mood, the main reason that I read YA to begin with, so I'd rate this one at around 3.5 stars and recommend it to YA readers looking for a manageable level of angst.

After a summer romance comes to an end, Oliver is ready to go home and lessen his heartache of WIll not calling him back. But when his aunt's health takes. a turn, he has to trade California for North Carolina and find his place a new school where WIll is totally avoiding him.

I was expecting a sweet summer romance dealing with the realities of the school year. What Gonzales also wrote was an intense ride-or-die friendship in Oliver's new friend group, Grease-inspired pining, and the most realistic portrayal of watching someone die before your eyes from cancer. Her emphasis on the relationships Oliver has outside of WIll are given equal screentime and importance. This keeps Oliver well-rounded despite the rom-com situations he finds himself in and adds emotional depth to the story where everyone wants to be happy. Falling in love and applying for college can be tough, but it's relationships like these that will last forever.

While it takes a while for Gonzales to find her footing, the emotional payoff with be worth it for fans of summer romance movies and Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda.

A digital copy has been provided by NetGalley. All opinions are my own.